PRESIDENT Robert Mugabe must step down from power because he has failed the country, opposition MDC-T vice-president Thokozani Khupe has said.
BY KENNETH NYANGANI
Khupe was addressing about 4 000 MDC-T party supporters, who yesterday brought business in Mutare to a standstill as the opposition party’s demonstrations against alleged misrule by Mugabe’s government.
She read the speech on behalf of MDC-T leader Morgan Tsvangirai, who failed to attend yesterday’s event reportedly because he was scheduled to undergo “a routine medical review”.
“We all witnessed Zanu PF’s grand political corruption in their lootings of $15 billion from Chiadzwa here in Manicaland. Mutare city is supposed to be like Sandton in Gauteng, South Africa, and you, the team of Manicaland, should be richest because of diamonds,’’ Khupe said in the short speech.
Early this year, Mugabe claimed at least $15 billion of the country’s diamond revenue had been looted, but could not provide details. Khupe added Mugabe should hand over power because “he is leading an illegitimate government”.
“The Zanu PF regime is essentially an illegitimate regime after notorious rigging of the 2013 elections. It is a regime that has neither the political nor the moral authority to remain in power a day longer,” she said.
“The hour has come for Zimbabweans to stand up and fight to the last drop of their blood.”
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Other top party leaders who took part in the demonstration included secretary-general Douglas Mwonzora, national spokesperson Obert Gutu and shadow home affairs minister Giles Mutsekwa.
The demonstration started mid-morning, with some vendors at Sakubva flea market — normally perceived to be Zanu PF supporters — joining the snaking crowd that stretched for at least five kilometres from Sakubva Beit Hall to Meikles Park in the city centre.
Khupe chronicled the collapse of industries in Manicaland and said Zimbabweans must demand of Mugabe’s administration “re-industrialisation and job creation”.
The demonstration was a follow up to those that were successfully held in Harare, Bulawayo and Bindura respectively.
The MDC-T is planning to move a motion to impeach Mugabe in the national assembly despite the fact that it is a minority in the legislature.
